Hunger is no factor in the adrenaline of war, but rather a different hunger exists... the hunger for battle.
...
"Are.. you sure about this sir?" a soldier asked his commander, he winced as his commander slowly fixed a belittling gaze upon his soldier. Members of EON (Equestria's Operative Northern) are known for their lack of discipline, but their efficiency in.. anything is outstanding! General Swain is mainly their high head of command, but the event such as now will probably strip him of his rank.
"You dare doubt me soldier?!" Darius shouted, causing the soldier to immediately regret his words. He grabbed him by a tuft of his chest fur with his claw-gloves over his hooves, forcing little streams of blood to drip at contact. "I thought they teach you something at training. Hear this fool: never cross me!" and with that, he ruthless released him onto the ground.
Darius is a large-built stallion, with gruff red-ish brown mane, and a slightly brighter hued coat. He wears massive bulking armour along with a red cape. His cutie mark is an axe that matches the huge axe he uses.
"Y-yes sir!" he stammered before scampering back.
Behind him was a legion of EON soldiers, although they were once called The Black Rose; their true name has been concealed for stealth purposes. Many thought they were long extinct due to expulsion in the past, but their ex-leader, Leblanc: the deceiver, rebooted it just recently. Although she is barely seen, most believe she has returned as a simple mare, roaming the streets. In truth, she was planning her devious plot. Now that the void has hindered the Royal defences, she saw an opportunity to take over her primary objective: Ionia.
Although Darius has allegience to the Black Rose, he does not originate from the group. Instead, he was first recognized in the griffon war. When General Swain had legions, he had captains. Of course it is extremely difficult if he attempted to lead an entire army with just himself. One captain in particular, Soveren, is his most prized captain at the time. He has shown many times that he is clever and brutal in war tactics, making him a desired leader. However, one battle truly tested his might...
With their numbers severed, and troops on the verge to retreat. He ordered to fallback. Darius, who was just a lieutenant at the time, disagreed. He scolded the man as mad, it was possible that they could win the day. Soveren kept pressing urges to retreat, but time grew short as the next horde of griffons drew close. Without warning, Darius beheaded the captain and took over his authority. The soldiers were renewed with inspired vigor but confusion. Nevertheless, they faced on the griffon horde. Reluctantly, Darius was the only survivor, but he slew all griffon before they could retreat. Soldiers from both sides, friendly and enemy, fear him.
Now what lays ahead is the city of Ionia, grand and majestic.
"Warriors of EON!" Darius started, "For Noxus!" The legion of soldiers charged upon the peaceful city, not aware of the oncoming battle.
Celestia awaited patiently upon her throne, expected company very soon.
The chamber doors opened smoothly, letting in 6 familiar mares. Celestia got off and approached them in greeting with a smile.
"Im glad you all came. As you know, a very large threat faces all of Equestria and we must do something to stop it." they nodded in agreement.
"But how will we stop it?" ,asked Twilight.
"A question that we aren't certain of.", her smile faded but had flaming determination in her eyes, "Rumour has it that there is an artifact that is closely bonded to the void. That artifact is able to bring back all beings who has escaped the Void realm, or closely related to it's essence." she turned to face the paper upon her studies and levitated them for Twilight and her friends to see.
They curiously peered through it's information.
"Unfortunately," Celestia continued as they kept going through, "the artifact can not leave it's domain; meaning it is located somewhere within the Void." she levitated yet another parchment containing Princess Luna's research on the artifact. On it was a sketch of the artifact. "It is called: The Void Scepter. It amplifies it's holder's abilities and corrupts all it contacts with the void. And may I add, touching the essence of the void will corrupt you and transform you into a creature with no sanity or sentient thoughts."
"Ah don't understand," Applejack commented, "Are ya sayin' we should venture into the void? Just to git this Scepter?"
"I believe all 6 of you can do it." she said with a confident smile.
"Whats this?" Pinkie pointed at a sketch of a rift walker.
"That is Kassadin, the only known being to embrace the Void and come back sane. It was research done by Ryze."
"He looks... weird~"
Celestia stiffled a small laugh, "Yes, his armour is peculiar; its what happens when you venture into the void."
"So we're gonna be transformed into something way awesomer?" beamed Rainbow,
"No rainbow," said Twilight, "It means we'll transform into monsters."
"I don't understand how we'll be able to do this!" Fluttershy peeped while backing away from the scary sketches by Ryze and Luna.
"yes, I agree with Fluttershy; this is going to be a suicide mission!" Rarity faked a faint and leaned on Applejack for support. Instead, she got shrugged off.
"Was this the 'plan' Skarner was talking about?" , asked Applejack.
"If he did share it with you earlier, yes. He and a group of elite royal guards will also venture into the void. See them as your expedition team." she gently took back her papers and set them back on her table. "My little ponies, at first we decided it would be too dangerous for any of you. But knowing that you can purify one's soul from the void by using the elements of harmony, it would be convenient to bring you all along. However, losing one of you will result in... " he took awhile to find the correct word, but was hushed by Twilight's raised hoof.
"No need to finish that. We'll do whatever it takes to save Equestria! Right girls?" she beamed and huffed out her chest in pride. Her friends however, were hesitant on a mission such as this.
"Ah don't know Twi, sounds a mite hopeless survivin' in there.", said Applejack with a quakey tone
"Oh pish posh Applejack!" Rarity interjected, "Can you not see that this is Equestria's only hope?"
"Uh, I don't feel like I should go into somewhere dark and scary." said Fluttershy,
"This trip is nuts! Even I wouldn't go if I were on 50 casks of hard cider!" shouted Rainbow,
"Aw come on guys! It'll be fun?" it was unusual for Pinkie to add a questioning tone after the word fun.
Twilight drooped at the reaction of her friends.
Celestia gave the floor a good stomp, silencing the commotion. Once all attention was towards her, she spoke once more.
"Yes, it is true that this mission can be dangerous to the extent of your lives. I will understand if you back down now. So answer this: Are you willing to sacrifice your life for the safety of Equestria?"
"Ah guess so."
"Well, when you put it that way--"
"This is where my loyalty gets me in trouble."
Fluttershy ,who was still shivering from the adrenaline of the news, started crying. Just then, a loud combo of clangs and clashes sounded from the hall. Everypony stepped towards the door, and peeped to see what it was all about. Why, a small and white bunny was dodging the guards whom were chasing the poor thing across the hall. Angel bunny was looking for his mama. He gave a small squeak which caught Fluttershy's attention.
"Angel?... ANGEL!!" she dashed in front of the guards, holding her hooves up in protection of her cherished bunny. "Stop you bullies! How dare you pick on a small and innocent creature! You should be ashamed of yourselves, trying to capture a harmless bunny."
Her heart broke when she found a little scratch on Angel's cheek. She turned to the guards with the most terrifying gaze Equestria has ever beheld. While Angel was frantically sending signs and messages through bunny language and body language. Stop you fool! For it is not the inferior guards that must concern you! For the slaves back at our mansion has been overrun by other horrid creatures! They've been turned into far uglier creatures! It was terrible oh mighty Goddess of butterflies! Fluttershy misinterpreted this and merely thought he wanted a hug.
"Awww poor Angel. Mama will make it up to you!"
Sigh. Fine, find me another pack of slaves to commandeer.
"Whats that? Oh I don't know if i can make you your favourite salad today. Perhaps some other time?"
Yea whatever.
Fluttershy smiled and hugged Angel with content, able to make it up to her bunny who has lost so much attention. Suddenly, a BlueJay bursted through the window... or rather an extremely demented BlueJay. FLuttershy quickly rushed to her injured friend.
"The Void must've done this..."
"They shall pay!!" a voice shook the world, it must've been really loud to hear it all the way from where they were. Yorick stopped, to ponder what in the name of Celestia can yell that loud. However, he shrugged it off and continued to lead the group of ponies and dragons through the dark forest. Meanwhile, an undead pony known as the Shadow of War stalks their path. He knew that they mustn't venture towards Mordekaiser; he wanted him to himself.
With his boss (or partner) turned into a lycan, he had the lab all to himself! Although he felt down because Warwick wouldn't be around anymore, it was overwhelmed by the shear joy of having the lab all to himself! usually, Warwick would limit his use of the lab because all Singed wanted to do was create pointless assortments of chemicals which prove not beneficial to the world, but that won't stop him now because he had the lab all to himself!
Today, he will prove that his creations are useful afterall. Once he had heard of the upcoming gathering of The Black Rose members, he attended it. There he learned of the assault on Ionia, someplace he had no feelings about whatsoever. This was perfect for him to unleash his most prized creation: Poison trail. Something he conjured up behind Warwick's back. So he went all the way back to Zaun, his labplace, to prepare for the assault. He laughed manically throughout the whole day.
Being part of the assault in the Black Rose, she charged at Darius' command. Riven held a runic sword that seemed to be shattered long ago. However, she called upon the runes and soon, it's missing pieces resembled a massive claymore. Amazing, no one questions how she held it with one hand, seeing that she is a small figure. her coat is pale orange with snow-white mane. Her cutiemark resembled one of the rune symbols on her sword. She wore simply cloth armour and iron shoulder mounts. Even though she was a pegasus, she rarely uses her wings for flight, instead for more mobility around the field. As she approached the city of Ionia, something stirred her uneasy. She looked to her side to see Ionian troops assemble around--behind--in front... they were in an ambush! She pointed a spare hoof to her side, signaling to nearby soldiers of the oncoming Ionians.
Both forces bellowed their warcries.
"Showtime." Singed muttered to himself. He had his red armour and large spiked shield covering his dirty white coat. He had lost most of his mane due to alchemy tinkering. He reached behind him and popped open a very large green bottle, filled to the top with no excess air inside, and drank one of his potions. Insanity potions. It drove him mad, in a good way; he will now know no fear, and will ignore any fatigue that dare wear him down. After a fit of laughter, he charged into battle with his poison trailing behind him, and his shield held in front of him.
He was tempted to take some time to absorb the scenery, it was intriguing to watch a large scale battle unfold. However, he was insane! When some soldiers noticed him, they gave him confused glances. Then seeing that he is a threat, they charged at him. he took many slashes and pokes, but hindered him none as his body was prepared for such abuse; he had grown a lot of tolerance to pain from all the burns and scars from experiments. His armour and shield blocked the rest of the attacks. Once he was out of reach from the soldiers, they slowly dropped to the ground. Singed beamed at the success of his toxic, it even lingered for a while too! It was one of the happiest moments of his life! He wondered if his cutiemark changed, it had to change from a flask, to poison skulls after that moment.
He passed by countless soldiers who were already locked in battle with their foe, but each and every pony fell dead. Even the strongest of them couldn't last for 6 seconds.
"Hyah!" Riven cried before driving her sword down upon an enemy. He was sliced in half with no problem. In short distance, she could see Darius beheading and chopping many many many enemies. She started to get jealous of his weapon. At the otherside, she found a lot of soldiers lay dead. Then a running figure who ran through the crowd. Bunch by bunch, the ponies who were left in his dust fainted... or died to the cloud of poison that trailed behind the figure. Eventually, she realized, that more than half of Ionians and warriors of EON laid dead. Whoever was this mystery pony, has surely devastated Riven. She decided to turn and avoid the battle, even after Darius' lectures on never retreating. Tears strained her eyes as she felt powerless to stop the killing. She finally realized, after years of life wasted in battle-training, that war was a cruel thing.
Meanwhile, Singed thought Hey! After im done with these guys, why don't I finish up what the Black Rose members wanted! Ionia, here I come!
The cool air from the upcoming winter breathed into the room, giving Swain a sigh of comfort. He suspected it would be just a matter of time until the captain in command steps in. He lulled himself upon his cushion, and waited patiently behind his desk that is unusually empty. Beatrice was busy nipping away the shedding feathers,sitting on her perch just beside the window. Although the sun's ray did not compliment her looks, it sure did give her warmth. So far, he has no news from the attack on Ionia. With great emphasis, Shining Armour knocked down the door with a couple of armoured guards behind him.
"Swain!", he didn't bother with formalities, "You better have a darn good reason for this!"
"What seems to trouble you sir?" Swain remained relaxed and played with his cane a bit.
"You know very damn well what troubles me! Why is there a bloodbath of soldiers down in Ionia?!"
He raised an eyebrow, attempting to look innocent. Shining's escort of guards trotted closer to him, at least making Swain just a tiddy bit nervous.
"Captain, I do not know what you speak of."
"Officer Swain, you are hereby under arrest for treason, conspiring against the military, and jeopardizing our alliance with Ionia!", the guard twitched into combat stance, about to hold Swain down for arrest. However, Beatrice looked up from her wings and flew in front of Shining's face. Her eyes glowed as she casts a deep gaze upon the captain, crippling his neural system, causing him to crumple onto the ground. The guards were locked under a snare from Swain's magic, helpless from stopping what he was about to do.
"Captain Shining, im afraid that it is you who is under arrest; for treason and assaulting a Noxus general."
He continued to struggle to break free of Beatrice's gaze, trying to scream the anger that was building. His guards were able to break free and they charged at the pony behind the desk. Swain unsheathed his bandana that covered his muzzle, and pulled over his cape; not revealing the introduction of his transformation. In less than a moment, he towered above the ponies, nearly topping off the ceiling. He spreaded his wings which lengthen the full width of the room. He was no longer a pony, but a raven that doubled their size with feathers darkest hue. He opened his 6 eyes, then revealed his claws.
"Fools!" he unleashed a flock of ravens from behind his wings and attacked the poor guards. They mercilessly ripped out pieces of flesh with each peck. Eventually hindering the guards slow and painful death. beatrice finally broke off to let Shining witness the scene befold in front of him. Before he could react, he was engrossed by a pink aura and was launched out the door. He landed somewhat softly beside a pink alicorn ,who he didn't recognize at first, due to his damaged sight.
Swain's laugh was heard from the inside, yet he made no appearance outside...yet. The barracks was empty, fortunately, so no guards were caught in his wrath. The building was quickly overealmed by 6-eyed ravens, with hunger in their eyes. Cadence helped Shining Armour to his hooves and nudged him to flee.
"No! He's on the loose, I have to stop him!" he hesitated,
"I'll try my best to hold them off! You go and get reinforcements!" she commanded. he was impressed by her assertiveness, but shook his head.
"You go look for reinforcements, I have a better chance against him." she nodded off and galloped towards the dorms for the elite guards. Shining watched her disappear behind the crystal houses, and then fixed his gaze upon Swain who just stepped outside. He screeched, piercing's Shining's eardrums; but he didn't flinch. He quickly casts a crippled bolt of arcane energy from his horn, hitting Swain's left wing. He winced, then folded his wings. He figured he wouldn't need them for now. He lifted his cane and pointed it towards Shining. It shot a ball of green fire that he knew too well. He teleported himself out of the way and appeared behind Swain. He gets countered by a group of ravens suddenly pecking his flesh. However, he ignored the pain and shot a pulse, causing Swain to lose his balance. He turned for a buck, using his advantage; he was kicking his flank old-school. He sent the general a short distance. He uses a defensive spell to eliminate the ravens that surrounded him. Once he got his attention back on Swain, he was met with Beatrice staring into his eyes. He was rendered weaker and slower with his thoughts, giving Swain a chance to fight; he did not put his advantage to waste. He activated a circle underneath Shining, who did not have time to escape it's grasp.
"it is time for a new Empire! For the glory of Noxus to be once again restored! Ionia was what eradicated us, so they must be destroyed. I have thousands of members, scouring the streets of the Crystal Empire to Canterlot, waiting for the chance to rise with Noxus! And now is their chance!", his announcement brought colts and mares peering at them nervously. Some were smiling, other were horrified. "There shall be true strength in this world, if we are to stand against the Void. And you fail to prove that. With Noxus back, we will bring Equestria's glory! Swain reverted to his pony form, then stepped closer to Shining with his cane raised. But was interrupted by a sudden sting of lightning in his back. He turned to see the one who was guilty. He was met with a blast of arcane.
"Hey! Over here!" Ezreal mocked as he flashed to dodge an incoming raven. He then shot another arcane blast from his boot; it was powered by his horn. It hit Swain on his torso, knocking him back, followed up with a lightning shuriken that lingered. Kennan's eyes were still bleeding, but you could tell he was fuming when he heard about the attack on Ionia. Swain bellowed in pain, then dropped to his knees. Quickly, his followers (or associates, henchmen, accomplices) intervened into combat. They weren't well armoured at the time, so they proved to be not much to the non-corrupted guards. They were swiftly dealt with and soon Swain was left alone.
But they were too late as he quickly vanished from sight. He reappeared behind Shining armour and jammed his cane into his back. The tip of cane lit up as it shot crippling magic directly into the captain. He fell without being given the chance to recover, elicitating a gasp from Princess Cadence as she witness her husband fall. She quickly galloped to his aid, completely ignoring Swain. Which was a big mistake. He activated a snare underneath her, holding her in place. He once again, lifted his cane and blasted another bolt of green fire. She flinched and looked away, not daring to witness the incoming bolt.
"No!", cried a nearby guard. He made a leaping dash between Cadence and the speeding bolt, and took the hit right in his shoulder. He was fortunate that he had heavy armour on, otherwise the hit would've been an instant death. Ezreal and Kennan didn't waste any time, and moved in to assault Swain. The prodigal pony fires a wave of energy, followed by a energy shot; it didn't have much of an effect. He was countered by the appearance of Beatrice in front of his face, who was lost in her painful gaze. Kennan unleashed yet another lightning shuriken, but missed as his target suddenly disappeared. As well as his pet raven.
Cadence was tending to her beloved while another guard was checking up on the who got hit. Shining woke disruptively, and shook his head to get rid of the migraine that pounded his head. It did not go away. He nuzzled his sweetheart for assurance that he was okay. He peered around the area to take in the event that has just happened.
"Oh Shining! I was so worried!", cried Cadence as she buried her head into his chest. He warmly embraced her, once again saying that he was alright.
"I was almost badly hurt-- that pony over there saved me." she pointed to the downed guard.
Shining armour rushed to his side, and checked his features. He was recognizable, but he couldn't quite put a hoof on it. He may seem to be perfectly fine, but his insides were slowly burning along with his strength. Cadence, who took some studies in medical magic, tried her best to heal the poor stallion. He woke from his consciousness and struggled to breath normally.
"What is your name private?" Shining asked.
"You... do not... recognize me?", his voice was rasped,
"Im afraid not."
He stifled a small laugh,
"General Garrison Crownguard, but you can call me Garen ,captain."